2010 Winter Olympics mailbag: If Liechtenstein wins gold, yep, its national anthem is ready to play

Associated Press82 nations, 82 national anthems at the ready.Rachel Bachman opens the Olympic mailbag to field a question from Karri Pasteris of Tigard, Ore.:

Q: In all, 82 nations have sent athletes to the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, which means 82 national anthems must be on hand in the event of a gold medal victory. Does each nation supply its own audio copy of its anthem, or does one orchestra record them all?

A: The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra recorded all 82 anthems for use in the nightly medals ceremonies at Vancouver's BC Place and Whistler. A similar setup occurred at the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing, when the Beijing Symphony Orchestra recorded all 207 anthems of the national delegations in attendance. As you might imagine, there would be significant logistical challenges to amassing a full orchestra each night to play three or four songs.